Sony's saying nothing, but online reports suggests the consumer electronics giant is readying a further incarnation of the PS2 that's set to ship in the States next year for under $100.
Sony slim PS2 Sony's PS2: last redesigned in 2004
According to a report published by games industry trade paper MCV, the third-generation PS2 …

COMMENTS

Weird

So... they're going to release a smaller version of the PS2 and they don't want it to impact the sales of the PS3. Is the current thinking that they reckon people are holding off buying a PS3 in case a small PS2 comes along?

What would be a good idea, is if they could shrink the PS2 even more, put a screen on it and a battery and make it a portable. Oh wait, they did that, it's called the PSP.

Re: Overheating

Seriously dont know what people's bitching is all about regarding the slim PS2 and "overheating." Have had my NTSC US Slim PS2 for 3 years this Christmas, and it's never overheated. It's never failed in any way. No matter how long I've hammered it with MGS 2, Res 4 or Ace Combat 5, it's always been reliable.

Component Usage...

I guess now they're not sticking the emotion engines in the PS3's, they've got a bunch of excess stock to use up?

In all seriousness though, I'm guessing that they're getting towards a system on a chip for PS2 technology, and with further reduced manufacturing costs, combined with the still excellent PS2 sales, Sony are looking at propping up the finances for the games division, what with their 'other' console's lethargic sales.

Sony shooting itself.... again!

Have Sony finally lost the plot? Firstly they release their new console a year late and heavily overpriced (although cheap for a blue-ray video player). Then they announce they are realising a cut down (crap) version of the PS3, even though Sony laughed at Micro$oft for doing the very same thing. Now instead of concentrating on reducing the costs of the PS3 or coming up with some other innovative way of shifting PS3's (like making more decent games and cheaper too) they sell cheap PS2's instead.

Message to Sony: Wake up and get with the program you complete and utter plonkers. Make the PS3 cheaper and the games too. Why would i want to buy the same game as realised on a Xbox 360 and pay £10 more? especially since they look identical when played on their respective systems??? P.S. You have especially upset and insulted the UK gaming community. This is gonna cost you long term Sony, don't forget a large number of games are developed in the UK and you will lose out all round unless you get your collective fingers out...

Arif...

Sony is not a person, a person who can only concentrate on one thing at a time. Somehow I doubt the development of a cheaper PS2 in any way affects efforts to reduce costs for the PS3. There's nothing to stop them doing both at the same time.

The PS2 remains a nice little earner for Sony - and let's face it, they're hardly rolling in it at the moment...

A good thing

No, but it wouldn't be unprecedented; both the NES and the SNES got rebuilt in smaller form factors, and the Wii is 100% Gamecube compatible.

I think keeping the PS2 going is a good idea and it's good for developers who have already made a heavy investment in PS2 training and materials.

It sends the double message that if you invest in the PS3, Sony intends to keep their products going for years and years and years past the end of the generation cycle. Respecting developers is one of the best things you can do with the system.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has sent the message by releasing a year ahead of the cycle that if you invest in the X-Box, they're going to be more than happy to dump it and move on if they feel it suits them. That's a big caution sticker on that 360.

Speaking of living in the past, how come everyone is so crazy about PS2 emulation? We're talking about a system that almost everyone has, and if you don't have it, you can get it. It's the single best selling console of all time, and if you want to play PS2 games, guess what! You don't have to buy a $600 PS3. You can probably find a PS2 for as little as $20 used, and brand new they'll be under $100.

I'd go so far as to say that anyone that butt-hurt about the PS2 compatibility is either simply running short on reasons to hate Sony, or is simply an epic wanker.

@Arif Rashid

"Then they announce they are realising a cut down (crap) version of the PS3"

Really, when was that? I thought that apart from a smaller HDD (which can be swapped with any laptop HDD of your choice, or supplemented with an external HDD), fewer USB ports (which can be added to with any USB hub), and removal of backward compatibility (presuming that people with vast catalogues of PS2 games they want to play, actually own a PS2), made financial sense.

It's not like they seriously downgraded the console in any way, like for example adding a model with no HDD, or DVD instead of blu-ray, which would mean games have to be designed for the lowest common denominator. Personally I'm not re-thinking any code because the PS3 now has only 2 USB ports and won't play a game released 6 years ago...

PS2 emulation in the PS3...

There's a few basic reasons why people such as myself are ticked off at Sony's approach to PS2 emulation in the PS3.

The first is the most basic. They *said* the PS3 would be backwards compatible.Then, outside the US/Japan, they messed that up switching to software emulation (less compatible) at a higher price. And then ditched compatibility altogether (as well as cutting some other bits)... only to reduce the price to what the US paid in the first place for the higher-spec, hardware emulation version. So we have a string of lies and downgrades.

Second, owning a PS2 doesn't mean that you want to keep it when you upgrade. I was planning to hand my PS2 down to my sister, along with a selection of the games I don't play much. Why? I save space, and now *two* people can play games. Except the emulation didn't happen, and if I want to keep playing my PS2 collection I have another box cluttering my loungeroom floor.

Personally I have one or two PS2 games with poor compatibility with my particular model of PS2 and I was hoping they would work better with the PS3 emulation of the PS2. Now I'm reduced to the option of buying a new PS2 - but it's not worth it for one or two games, so I'll have to write them off.

Re: Overheating

"Hopefully this one will be better than the overheating piece of crap that is the current slim PS2."

Hmm. Never had a problem with my slimline PS2 overheating - granted, it isn't in constant use but when it is used it gets a real hammering. Having said that, it's actually kept somewhere where there is decent ventilation.

However I'm really not a fan of external power bricks/wall warts, so if Sony can do a small(er) version of the PS2 with an internal transformer I'd seriously consider buying one. Hell, if M$ did the 360 with an internal PSU I'd get one like a shot.